7 Reasons To Try A Romana At Pizza Express

Sometimes in life we are faced with immensely troubling dilemmas. Do you have a standard pizza or do you go big? The other day I went big. Or, as Pizza Express like to call it, I went Romana style. Here is why you should do it too.

1. Taster. The Romana, as the name suggests, is inspired by the pizzas served in Rome. Now, when I went to Rome last year I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. Not so much in terms of the city and what to do, but the food. That was the one thing I needed to survive the holiday. And, thinking about it, it is what everyone needs to survive Rome if they are there for any prolonged period of time. I was there for a week. I needed food to survive. The thing is, when I went to Rome it was a gamble. I just banked on liking the food. But what would have happened if I hadn’t? Would I have starved? Would I have been able to book a flight back to Blighty before my stomach started rumbling? Had Pizza Express offered the Romana before I went, such worries could have been dispelled in an instant. I could have booked a table, ordered an American Hot and tasted it. If I liked it I would know going to Rome was a safe bet, if I hadn’t, I would have gone to Brighton instead. So there you go, if you are worried about going to Rome, go to Pizza Express for a trial run first.

2. Maths Challenge. The Romana is described as a ‘bigger, thinner and crispier’ version of the classic Pizza Express pizza. Which got me thinking. And thinking. And thinking. There was so much thinking involved that I had to have garlic bread and dough balls. Being bigger is all well and good, but if it’s thinner doesn’t that just mean the dough has been rolled out a bit more? For my extra £1.55 am I actually getting more food? Aren’t I just getting the same product in a slightly different shape? The only way to find out was to order both the standard and Romana-ed versions of the American Hot. When they arrived I still couldn’t work it out. Still, I had two pizzas and my brain had a work out. It’s better than having to take your sudoku book to Pizza Hut.

3. Language. Pizza Express offers you are rather wonderful opportunity to practice your Italian. I managed to Romana my American Hot in one go. All it took was a little gesticulation, a little shouting and the waiter, Mike, did the rest. Thanks Mike!

4. Doctor, Doctor. For the millions of you out there whose only option was to tell the waiter to “bring me the head of Alfredo Garcia” when you fancied a fictional character for dinner, you can now rest in peace. Go to Pizza Express and order a Romana. You won’t get the disembodied head of Mary Tamm or Lalla Ward, instead you’ll be delivered a pizza. That should give you your kicks you weird, weird people.*

5. Mr Lava, Lavaman**. One of Pizza Expresses Romana’s is called Etna. Presumably after the Sicilian active volcano as opposed to the LG mobile phone. To me, this says heat. It also tells me it is very likely to erupt in my colon. While this isn’t exactly an enticing prospect, the fact that 25p of the £11.50 it’s going to cost me goes to Fairbridge – a charity helping young people turn their lives around – makes it seem a small price to pay. For every minute I spend on the toilet that night, I’ll know that someone, somewhere, is better off because of it.

6. Calzone. When I was in Rome last year, I had a calzone. For the uninitiated amongst you, I would best describe it as a pizza folded in half. There’s a bit more to it than that – usually a hard-boiled egg – but for the sake of getting you to the end of the post before lunchtime, let’s just call it a pizza folded in half. Now, should you try and fold a classic pizza from Pizza Express in half, you will struggle. The base is slightly too thick. It just flops back and leaves the topping behind. Shocking. A Romana though, well that is a completely different animal. It’s thin enough to flop all over the place. With a Romana, a makeshift calzone can be yours.

7. Playtime. A bigger pizza means a bigger canvas on which to arrange your ingredients. While your depiction of Obama may not have flattered the American President on your classic pizza, on the Romana there would be plenty of room to make him look like a real person. With salami hair. And peppers as the lips. And a mushroom for the nose. Yes, I have done my research. (Should you wish to have a go you need to order the Rustichella. With a few extra toppings.).

*This reason will only make sense if you’ve Googled ‘Romana’ and discovered a tenuous link to Doctor Who.